Double-deck car.



No. 680,944. Patented Aug. 20, IBM.

W. E. SHARP.

DOUBLE DECK CAR.

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(Application filed Apr. 15, 1901.)

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No. 680,944. Patented Aug. 20, I901. W. E. SHARP.

DOUBLE DECK CAR. (Application filed Apr. 15, 1991.

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\VILLIAM E. SHARP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ARMOUR 8a COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DOUBLE DECK CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 680,944, dated August 20, 1901. Application filed April 15, 1901. Serial No. 55,966. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SHARP, of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double-Deck Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in freight-cars, and refers more specifically to improvements in collapsible racks or floorsections adapted to form a double deck for use in such cars.

The object of the invention is to provide for a box-car, which may be of ordinary construction, a series of rack-sections supported to form an intermediate floor or double deck when in operative position and capable of being collapsible and shifted into stored position, so as to occupy but an insignificant amount of space when not desired for use.

To this end the invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and the same will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken through the body of a car and showing the arrangement of the rack-sections therein, the latter being shown in elevation in stored position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the car-bod y, also showing the racks in stored position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the racks in operative position.

As will hereinafterappear,the present invention is not limited to any particular type of box-car, these rack-sections and their mountings being adapted for use in freight-cars of ordinary construction as well as for refrigerator-cars of the type herein described.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole the body of a closed car, comprising side walls 2 2, end walls 3, roof 4, ceiling 5, and the usual floor 6. In the present instance the car is shown as provided in one end with a refrigerator-tank, designated as a whole 7, the upper portion of the wall or partition 8, which separates the tank-space from the interior of the car, being inclined, as best shown in Fig. 2.

9 and 10 respectively designate as a whole two series of racks or floor-sections, the in dividualones of the upper series being designated 11 and those of the lower series 12 and 13.

It may be stated at this point that the members of the lower series of rack-sections 10 are constructed and arranged substantially in accordance with the patent granted to T. B. Kirby October 21, 1900, No. 656,462, to which patent reference is made for a detailed description of the same, such description be ing omittedherein, inasmuch as the construction and arrangement of such lower rack-section form no part of the present invention.

Describing now in detail the construction and arrangement of the upper series of racksections, it will be understood that while the sections are herein shown as of open or slatted construction, suitable for shipment of such products as require circulation of air through the car, yet these sections may be equally, within the scope of the invention, constructed with close joints, so as to constitute a practically continuous fioor when in operative position. Each rack-section 11 is made of a length sufficient to extend entirely across the width of the interior of the car and is preferably made considerably narrower than its length in order that the sections maybe more conveniently manipulated, as will hereinafter appear. In the preferred construction shown the rack-sections are flexibly united in pairs and are so constructed as to be capable of nesting together, each section to this end comprising a pair of longitudinal stringers or supports 14 and 15, one adjacent to each side margin of the section, across which are secured at regular intervals a series of slats or strips 16 of a length equal to the width of the section. The longitudinal supports of each two rack-sections, constituting a pair, are offset with relation to each other, so as to enable the racks to be nested together-,with their longitudinal members facing downwardly and with their side margins in register with each other-that is to say, in the particular instance illustrated the longitudinal members 14 of each rack-section are arranged flush with the end margins of the cross-strips, while the longitudinal members 15 are set inwardly from the ends of the close strips a distance equal to the thickness of the members 14, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

As apreferred means of flexibl y uniting the two rack-sections constituting each pair, I

adopt the hinged connection shown and described in the Kirby patent hereinbefore referred to, which connection comprises two or more elongated links 17, each arranged to encircle the two proximate longitudinal members of the pair of rack-sections, said links being of sufficient length to afford the requi site movement of the connected parts with relation to each other to enable them to be nested, and the portions of the supports encircled by said links being desirably rounded, as indicated at 18, so as to facilitate the hinge action.

19 19 designate longitudinal and horizontal supports or bars suitably bolted or otherwise secured to the respective side walls of the car at points intermediate the height of the latter to form ledges upon which the ends of the rack-sections are adapted to rest and slide. Preferably said longitudinal supports extend continuously from the door-openings of the car to each end thereof, or in the case of a refrigerator-car like that shown herein to the wall 8 of the refrigerator-tank.

At each end of the car a supporting-hook 20 is provided, one of said hooks 20 being pivotally secured to the wall 8 of the refrigerator-tank at a point approximately midway between the side walls of the car and preferably about midway of the distance between the supports 19 and the ceiling of the car and the other in substantially the same relation upon the opposite end wall of the car. These hooks 20 are in the present instance made of sufficient length to extend through a plurality of pairs of rack-sections nested together and placed side by side, as shown in Fig. 2, the hook portion proper being adapted to engage a catch-plate 22, mounted upon the outermost one of the several sections, also as indicated clearly in said Fig. 2, it being understood that the hook 20 will be so located as to pass through the interstices between the adjacent slats of the rack-sections.

The operation of the racksections constructed and described is probably entirely obvious from the foregoing description, but may be briefly described as follows: When it is desirous to place them in operative position, the hooks 20 are simply disengaged and the rack-sections let down, unfolded, and slid along the supports 9 into properly-extended position, it being understood that the rack-sections are so unfolded as to bring their longitudinal supports undermost and in bearing with the side supports 19. The returning of the rack-sections to stored position is obviously exactly the reverse of the foregoing operation. In the case of those rack-sections which belong to that end of the car containing the refrigerator-tank they will be held stored in the inclined position shown in said Fig. 2, while at the opposite end of said car they will obviously be stored in vertical position. In may be noted in this connection that any suitable construction of rack may be employed for forming that part of the double deck opposite the side door-openings of the car, although, preferably, I employ a rack-section for this purpose constructed like that described in my application filed contemporaneously herewith, Serial No. 55,964.

I claim as my invention- 1. As a new article of manufacture, an attachment for freight-cars comprising a pair of laterally opposite, horizontal and longitudinally-extending supporting-bars secured to the respective side walls of the car at points intermediate the height of the latter, the up per edges of which form supporting-ledges, a series of rack-sections each consisting of two or more stringer members arranged to extend transversely of the car, and a series of cross-slats secured to said fingers, said rack-sections being arranged to nest together in pairs with their stringers faced inwardly so as to occupy a minimum amount of space, and a supporting-hook secured to the end wall and adapted to extend through and hold in collapsed position a plurality of pairs of such nested rack-sections, substantially as 5 described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an attachment for freight-cars comprising a pair of laterally opposite, horizontal and longitudinally-extendin g supporting-bars secured to too the respective side walls of the car at points intermediate the height of the latter, the upper edges of which form supporting-ledges,

a series of rack-sections, each consisting of a pair of stringer members arranged to extend from one ledge to the other, and a series of cross slats secured across said stringers, means uniting said sections in pairs, comprising elongated links encircling pintle portions upon the contiguous edges of said rack- 1 10 sections whereby said rack-sections may be nested together with their stringer members facing inwardly so as to occupy a minimum amount of space, and means for holding said sections in stored position, comprising a hook I 15 pivoted to an upright support at the end of a pair of supporting-ledges, said hook being adapted to extend through interstices of the base of the nest-sections and engaging a catchplate mounted upon the outer face of the most remote section, substantially as described.

WILLIAM E. SHARP.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK O. GooDwIN, L. F. MCCREA. 

